By Graham Karr
On September 26, the Silver Lake Mustangs defended their home field on homecoming night against the Sterling Jets. The crowd showed up for the game, and the Mustangs came ready. On the very first play of the Mustangs’ offensive series, senior quarterback Beau Bonifas launched it deep for junior Brody Knehans for a forty-two-yard touchdown. That play alone set the tone of the game. It really showed that the Mustangs came to play and were ready for anything. Bonifas kept dealing the rest of the way, finishing 6-for-8 for 186 yards and five touchdown passes.
After the touchdown, the Mustang defense took the field and also showed that they were ready. The defense caused a three-and-out. Coach Watt says, “As a group, we have to set the tone for the game and get the ball to the offense and let Coach Brown work his magic.” The defense really showed the tone that Coach Watt wanted, and right after the three-and-out, the Mustangs got yet another touchdown. On the ground, senior Jaxon tenBensel powered the run game with 65 yards on six carries and a score, and he added a 44-yard touchdown reception as well.
The first half went like this for a while: the defense would do its job, and the offense would score. The defense in the first half had a total of four interceptions. Of all of those interceptions, Beau Bonifas had three of them—and he turned one into a touchdown. Those three interceptions set a new school record for picks in a single game. The other interception of the half came from senior Lanham Skrdlant off a bobbled ball. Skrdlant read the play perfectly and, after retrieving the ball, returned it for roughly 28 yards.
The second half featured several younger Mustangs stepping in, as the 47-point halftime cushion allowed the full roster to contribute. It was a quick half due to the running clock. In the second half, there were also three interceptions—two by freshman Graham Karr and one by sophomore Tanner Vance—giving the Mustangs seven interceptions for the night. Sterling scored 7 in the second half, followed by the Mustangs’ 6.
Tackling leaders helped seal it, with Skrdlant posting a team-high nine tackles and sophomore Braedyn Snell adding seven, while senior Landon Duester made five stops. The Mustangs came out victorious, 53–7, and with the end of the game, it was time for Homecoming. The Mustangs will now take on the Dorchester Longhorns on Friday, October 3rd.